Already Gone
by Pressing Point
Summary: On their first anniversary, he had a mission. The second, he lost track of time while training with Sasuke. The third...he forgot. The fourth...She's patiently waiting for his excuse this time. His answer will allow her to decide, "Do I want a divorce?"


**Already Gone**

A small smile graced her glossy, pink lips. Her lavender orbs rested upon the window. She clasped her hands together and patiently waited… even though three hours had passed already.

Upon the glass, she could see the reflection of all the activities taking place within the restaurant… including herself. There she sat, donning a stunning pure white dress. It hugged every curve of her body and it etched down to her ankles. The sparkly, silver heel of her shoes glimmered in the soft restaurant lighting, matching with the silver outline of the dress. Her midnight-blue hair was neatly braided into a long ponytail down her waist, straight-cut bangs covering her forehead and curled strands framing her snowy-skinned face. She looked like a goddess and she knew it. It was too bad she didn't feel like one should.

The 15,000 ryo appearance was all for _him_. If he wasn't here to enjoy it, then why would she?

The 25 year old woman chuckled lightly to herself. It was funny. Seeing how couples, waiters and waitresses passed by her, each giving a curious glance, was hilarious. Earlier this night, a waiter approached her table for two- which was currently occupied by one and directly asked, "Madam, you look gorgeous, but where is your date?" Thirty minutes ago, she happily replied, "He's standing me up." The waiter's confused reaction was still humoring, "Why are you here then if he's standing you up?" And she smiled brightly at his question, "Because, … I play a heartbreaking game called love. And apparently, he succeeds at crushing me every time." She remembered that she gave a light chuckle at his "saddened" expression. "Well, don't let this night and money go to waste. Will you order something?"

That's how she ended up with the most expensive dish the restaurant owned on her finely clothed table. Even though she ordered it, she didn't touch the (1)Sukiyaki though. No matter how scrumptious it smelt, no matter how hungry she was (she didn't bother having breakfast or lunch today), she refused to eat anything without him present.

Now that three hours had passed and only 15 minutes remained of their 4th anniversary date that had been ruined, the food was noticeably cold and the appeal had been long lost.

She gently raised her hand, awaiting the coming of the waiter. 10 seconds later, the man arrived at her side, looking sorry for her.

"Check, please," she quietly ordered.

The waiter grimaced. The woman didn't even touch her food. Whomever her husband was, he must've been a real jerk to have stood such a beautiful young lady up.

Hinata smiled, as if she knew the waiter's exact thoughts. She scanned her bill and let out a soft chuckle. 5,000 ryo for the dinner. Hinata politely handed the man his well-deserved money with an extra 1000 ryo tip. A restaurant of fine prestige like (2)'_Tokkyuu'_, deserved the tip. It was the finest restaurant in Konoha after all.

The man eyed the tip guiltily, "Certainly you cannot be leaving such a generous tip as this for such a terrible night?"

She laughed. "I enjoyed waiting here. The seats were comfortable, the traditional music was divine and the service is exceptional. If anything, I am under-tipping you."

The waiter smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

She rose from her seat and walked towards the door of the restaurant. "Don't be," she whispered to the waiter as she passed by, heels clicking behind her. He had 15 minutes left to show up… But even she knew when to give up.

* * *

><p>The rain ran through her hair, dripping down her face. She smiled at the thought of the 5000 ryo spent on her hair being wasted. Tons of hours putting on makeup had been wasted as she was sure her mascara was crying, staining her once blush applied cheeks to black. The rain soaked her dress and caused her feet to float in her shoes.<p>

She was only a few feet away from their orange home when the rain started. When it had, she laughed boisterously. Her anniversary days were always the worst for her, but, it always made her giddy. Giddy because that was the only way she could suppress the pain and anger that throbbed in her chest.

She walked by the ANBU guards to her mansion, continuing to soak in the rain. Neither of the guards said a word nor did they provide an umbrella or escort as they knew what day it was. Talking or taking any action towards the Hokage's wife on this day didn't work. She was always wrapped up in her own little world.

She walked along the smooth, tiled path surrounded by the large, lush and fruitful gardens _they _had grown over the years. She was about to step up the stairs when her heel caught the hem of her dress, ripping the fine silk in half. She giggled happily. 6,000 ryo had been wasted. Her thigh became exposed to the cold weather, the rain and wind smacking against her bare thigh. She tripped up the steps, completely breaking both the heels of her shoes. She giggled again. 4,000 ryo had been wasted.

Her hand reached for the doorknob, but the door opened on its own. Oh yeah. They never did lock their doors. She left her shoes on the doorstep and entered the living room. She left the door open, knowing that she would be using it later on tonight.

She knew she was making a mess on the beige carpet but he could clean it up later on. She staggered up the spiraling steps and down the grand halls until she stood before a large bedroom door. She could already predict what would be waiting for her in there. He would be fast asleep on the bed, his legs and the sheets sprawled in different directions, mewling like a little kitty in his sleep.

She flung the doors open, making sure they slammed against the wall. As she expected, he didn't flinch nor stir. She knew his habits so well.

Through the orange canopy she saw his sleeping figure. She moved towards him and joined him on the lavender sheets. She crossed the king bed in order to be right in front of him. There, she lied beside him, her eyes gazing at his closed ones.

She was soaking the bed but she didn't care.

She smiled at his odd sleeping position. He always slept like a toddler. She noticed he hadn't stripped down to his boxers as he usually slept. He was still dressed in his Rokudaime Hokage robes. His unruly blond hair lightly rested upon his tan face, covering bits of the three scars on his visible cheek. He looked so calm and serene as he slept. He was like a little angel.

She lightly sniffed him. … He smelt like sake.

She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. He smiled too. Only he did this to her. Only he managed to hurt her so much that she couldn't fight against it. She couldn't bring herself to display anything but love towards her husband. When she was upset, she told him and they always worked it out. But their anniversary blunders, she could never bring herself to speak about. They always pretended to forget about it, like it didn't happen. Well he did. She kept the pain and anger stirred inside. … But, it couldn't be contained much longer. Every night she considered five little words and her response was always no. Tonight… there may be an exception.

She was ready to wake him up now. She had this speech prepared in her mind since the beginning of the date. "Naruto," she whispered, pulling her hand away from his hair.

As she expected, a wide foxy grin sketched itself upon his face as he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She didn't move.

"Naruto," she whispered again.

The blond's sapphire blue eyes lazily fluttered open then back shut, "Hm, Hina-chan?" his nose crinkled and his eyebrows furrowed, "Are you wet, Hina-chan?"

Hinata didn't answer. He would understand the situation like he always did in 3, 2, 1…

Naruto removed his hands from her waist and opened his eyes. His grin faded into a line and his face displayed worry. She looked like she'd been hit by a wave of death. "Is something wrong, Hina-chan?"

Hinata laughed and Naruto stiffened.

Something was definitely wrong. And he could tell he had something to do with it. She was pretending to be happy and she was covering her eyes with the charade.

"Where were you at 8:00pm today, Naruto?" Hinata asked, her voice giggly.

"I was in the office, finishing up on some paperwork… Why?"

Hinata nodded. An imaginary knife pierced the skin above her heart area. She didn't answer his question. "What happened afterwards?"

Naruto clutched a fistful of the sheets. He did something wrong. Hinata wasn't answering him. "Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei invited me for a drink. Why?"

Hinata nodded and smiled. The knife darted through the skin, only inches away from her heart. "When did your drinking session end?"

Naruto frowned, "About an hour later. Why?"

The knife tipped the outer skin of her heart. "Were you drunk?"

"Yes. Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei brought me home, I believe. Why?"

The knife plunged into the organ bit by bit. "Oh, just out of curiosity, when is our wedding anniversary date again?"

Naruto grinned, "You forgot? It's November 19th of course!"

Hinata smiled. The knife dug to the center of her heart. "I didn't forget," Hinata whispered, her voice no longer giggly but serious. She dropped the charade so he could read her face. "What's today's date, Naruto?"

"November the 19- oh shit."

Hinata hung her head down, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes. The knife etched through her heart completely. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"H-Hina-chan! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Stop, Naruto."

"B-But I did-"

"I said stop it, Naruto!" Hinata yelled, revealing her tear streaked face. She rolled off the bed and stood stiffly. "Just stop it!"

Naruto got off the bed and to his wife. He was about to place a comforting hand on her shoulder when she batted it away. "H-Hina-chan."

"Don't. Touch. Me."

Hurt displayed upon Naruto's handsome face.

The two stood there for a while, not moving or speaking but staring at each other in the eyes.

Hinata drew away first, wiping away her tears. "This is the fourth time Naruto! The fourth time!"

Naruto was about to embrace her but she backed away. "Hina-chan, I'm sure it's not the-"

Hinata laughed bitterly, "Ha! Don't give me that crap! We've been married for four years and you haven't managed to attend one of our wedding anniversaries! It's like you don't even care! The first time, I could excuse you. You had a mission. It wasn't your fault. The second time, I was upset. You blew me off because you lost track of time while training with Sasuke! The third time, hurt me for months. You… forgot about our wedding anniversary! You forgot, Naruto! You did! And now, I am learning that you got drunk with some friends and blew me off!"

"Hina-chan, I know-"

"No! You don't know! Did you know that I was at the restaurant we agreed to go to just this morning at 8pm! I actually thought you would show this time! I looked like a fool! I spent so much money, trying to make it all perfect for us! But as always, you ruined it! I've been hurting all this time and you just ignore it! You never address it! I can't keep it stored in anymore! Naruto, I just can't!"

Hinata broke into tears.

Naruto tried to touch her but she shoved him off.

"M-My father was right," she sobbed, "my sister was right, Neji was right! You're never going to be able to support me enough! I'm always thinking about you and your needs! For once... just once! I want to be selfish! I want to think about me and my needs! Needs you never fulfil! I-I know you're trying, trying so hard... but is it wrong to want you to try a little harder for one day a year? Huh, Naruto? Apparently, you can't! A-And that's why… N-Naruto… I … w-want a… divorce." She wiped away her tears and looked him square in the eye, showing no hint of joking.

"You're kidding right!" Naruto yelled, his rage flaring. He gripped her bare shoulders and shook her, "This is a fucking joke! What are you saying?"

More tears streamed down her face. She pushed Naruto away and ran down the hall. She tumbled down the stairs and stumbled to the open door. She was... almost there. So close to freedom...

Naruto grabbed her from behind, unwilling to let her escape. He pushed her onto the couch and crushed her with his own body weight. "H-Hina please! Tell me you didn't mean what you said!"

Hinata struggled and tried to free herself, but Naruto wouldn't budge. "I want a divorce! I'm not putting up with this anymore!"

A crazed look entered Naruto's blue eyes. "But you can't leave me!" he shouted, "You promised me! You said we'd always be together! You promised that you'll never leave me!"

"Promises are m-meant to be broken, Naruto."

"Hinata, please! I can't live without you! I need you! I might be an idiot! I can be an ass! I may be the dumbest person in the world! But there is one thing that I do know for certain! And that is, that I love you! Hinata, I love you!"

Hinata stopped her struggles and cupped his face with her hands. "And you don't think I love you? It hurts, Naruto, it hurts. It hurts too much. You keep on killing me. I just can't take it. The love game we play… It starts out smooth, I can always feel the love… but then you always crush me… You always do… And the worst part is, you don't even know it."

Naruto's tears released onto hers. "Please, let's just talk about this," he whispered, "We'll work through it… Like we always do."

Hinata shook her head. "I'm sorry Naruto…. But I'm already gone. You've already lost me. You can't make it feel right when you know that it's wrong. I'm already gone, Naruto. I'm already gone. Just... accept it..."

Naruto smiled. "No, Hinata. You're not already gone. I haven't lost you. That's because I love you and I know you love me. We'll make it work. I know we will. I will do whatever it takes to get you back. I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust. Even if it kills me, I'll find a way to do it from my grave. I will."

He crashed his lips onto hers into a strong, needy kiss. She resisted his lips but he pressed on harder until she gave in. She kissed him back just as strong, drawing her arms around his neck. Tears rolled down their cheeks as the kisses were shared. And as their lips were connected, a mutual understanding passed by the both of them. They needed each other. They completed each other. And they loved each other too much to let go. Clothes began to shed and bodies interacted.

No matter how many times she could argue with him, no matter how many times he hurt her, she'd always come back. And he knew that.

* * *

><p>(1) Sukiyaki preparing restaurants specialize in dishes like sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. These restaurants are on the expensive side and are few in number. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and <em>mirin. <em>

_(2) The restaurant's name is 'Classy'_


End file.
